City releases new plan for safer 2nd Street SW

The new plan makes good on building upon the important lesson that the cycle tracks taught us about safety: protected bike lanes greatly increase safety for less confident riders, particularly women and children.

Proposed new 2nd Street SW design looking South at 21 Ave.

What the cycle tracks taught us about making cycling safer for women and families

The City’s final report on the Cycle Track Network pilot found that over the course of just 16 months the proportion of female riders jumped from 22% to 30%. Families also felt more comfortable riding in the protected space. As a result, the overall number of bike trips downtown increased significantly during the same period by roughly 40%.

Infographic from the City of Calgary’s Centre City Cycle Track Final Report.

City of Calgary Downtown Bicycle Trip Count Before (2015) and After the Cycle Tracks Opened (2016).

A Safer 2nd Street SW proposal

The City's proposed new 2nd Street SW design introduces a protected cycle track that offers safety for women and families with children while maintaining available on-street parking, making shorter street crossing distances for pedestrians at five key intersections, and reducing the street's speed limit to 40 km/hr to respect the surrounding residential neighbourhoods.

Proposed new 2nd Street SW design looking North at 17 Ave.

Not your father’s one-way street

All these new safety improvements are made possible by converting 2nd Street to a northbound neighbourhood one-way street for vehicles. The proposed new design allocates one lane for dedicated parking, one lane for vehicle travel, plus a bonus lane of parking that is used for vehicle travel only during peak hours (between 7:00AM and 8:30AM).

The proposed 40 km/hr speed limit and shorter crossing distances for pedestrians at 13 Ave, 18 Ave, 24 Ave and 26 Ave mark a departure from the one-ways of yesteryear by embracing safer street design that builds on the residential urban character of the Beltline and Mission neighbourhoods.

The City has also confirmed with the BNA that their engineering study found the light levels of traffic on 2nd Street SW do not require a parallel southbound one-way.

As seen on 7th Street SW

The proposed new design bears many similarities to the popular design of 7th Street SW that connects the Peace Bridge across the Bow River to 8 Avenue SW downtown with a separated cycle track, one-way vehicle traffic, and parking on both sides of the street. The barrier-protected cycle track is wide and makes for ease of snow clearing for the City during the winter months.

7 Street SW looking South from 2 Ave SW. (Photo by Bryce Meyer).

Help us deliver the message!

1)Get informed: Learn more about the new plan on the City's project website

Visit the City’s project website and find out more about the new proposed safer plan for 2nd Street SW.